The present invention relates to a method of preparing a poultry drumstick, in preparation for baking or frying, and to the food product produced therefrom exhibiting a ball of meat at one end of the drumstick bone, where the bone forms a handle for convenient consumption of the food product.
American tastes in meat products have developed and been refined over many years such that poultry and fowl have become a major staple of America's diet. Even the traditional beef eateries offer chicken, for example, in some form or another. Unfortunately, little has changed over these years in the manner by which chicken is prepared and served. Chickens are conventionally eviscerated and dressed and sold either as a whole or as severed parts, namely, breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks, where the latter are typically sold with the skin in place and with the meat surrounding a central elongated bone.
In the past several decades, there has been an increasing demand for meat products which require less time for preparation and are boneless or partially boneless, making such products easier to consume. Hence, products such as boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, etc., have enjoyed tremendous commercial success. Other bird parts, such as wings, have enjoyed an increase in popularity because of the development of new and different preparation methods and/or marketing techniques, i.e., “hot wings”, “buffalo wings”, etc. Until recently, some bird parts, such as thighs, and drumsticks, have not been amenable to such enhanced commercial processing and/or preparation methods for a variety of reasons related primarily to the size of the parts, the type of meat (dark versus light), the size and location of the bone, etc.
Two recent developments by Eugene D. Gagliardi, Jr., directed to methods for preparing poultry food products, such as different chicken parts, may be found in the following U.S. Patents:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,984 which teaches a method of making a food product from the leg of a bird wherein the leg has a thigh end, a foot end, an elongated bone extending generally from the thigh end to the foot end, and meat surrounding and attached to the bone. The method comprises the steps of severing at least a first portion of the meat from the bone proximate the thigh end while leaving a second portion of the meat distal from the thigh end attached to the bone. The first portion of the meat is moved toward the foot end to expose a portion of the bone at least proximate the thigh end. At least part of the exposed portion of the bone is severed and removed. The first portion of the meat is then moved toward the thigh end so that the first portion of the meat extends outwardly from the remaining part of the bone to provide a leg food product which is boneless at its thigh end and includes a bone at its foot end; and
b.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,838 related to a method of making a food product including; selecting a thigh of an animal, the thigh comprising a thigh bone at least partially surrounded with thigh meat, the thigh bone having a first end and a second end; and partially deboning the thigh causing the first end of the thigh bone to extend from the thigh meat to form a handle for holding the food product, the thigh meat being generally positioned proximate to the second end of the thigh bone after the partial deboning. A fun to eat food product is also detailed herein. The fun to eat food product is formed from an animal's thigh, including a thigh bone having a first end and a second end. Thigh meat having an overall generally elongated shape extends from the second end of the thigh bone and is generally secured thereto. A handle is formed by the first end of the thigh bone extending from the thigh meat.
The Gagliardi developments illustrate the consumer's desire to see new and different product forms for the traditional chicken parts, such as thighs and drumsticks, for example. However, the methods of preparing the different food products therefrom are complex and are not amenable to ease and convenience to achieve a tasty and unique food product. The manner by which the present invention presents a new method for preparing poultry drumsticks, particularly chicken, will become apparent in the description which follows, especially when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.